Whatever ultimately gets created at Apache will require active oversight by the (P)PMC. We do have a small handful of language-specific user mailing lists, but there are people on the PMC responsible to see that the lists aren't being abused or misused or subject to spam.
----- Original Message ---- > From: Louis Suarez-Potts <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Fri, June 17, 2011 2:21:38 PM > Subject: Native Language vs l10n > > In going over the archives, it occurred to me that a small clarification > would >be useful. > > In OOo-land, we had two sorts of language projects. We had the classic >l10n/i18n, which dealt with localization and internationalization. We also >had >"native-language" projects. > > > This second sort set up heterotopias where discussions related to joining, >contributing, using OpenOffice.org could take place in the person's native >language. The idea was to expedite the learning processes and to promote OOo >among these linguistic groups, as well as in the regions where the language >dominated. > > > The NL projects (which were later named, "native language confederation") > were >immensely successful and operated as one of the best marketing and promotion >efforts ever. :-) > > I see compelling reasons to retain this structure, therefore, as the enduser >(of varying degrees of sophistication) benefits immensely from these >projects. >What's more, the contributor who may later become a developer, also benefits, >as the native-language projects lower the bar and make it easier to join the >community. > > Given the codebase, and given our hopes here, to have a vibrant and >sustainable community within Apache, I think the inclusion of these sorts of >native language projects is important, and I urge their establishment. > > -louis > > >
